CHAPTER VI
BEDS AND BEDMAKING
The common saying that the best bed for an invalid is his own bed contains an element of truth. Taking from a patient his own accustomed bed, even when a better is substituted, sometimes disturbs him greatly and makes him feel that he is indeed very ill. Nevertheless, a suitable bed is essential to the proper care of a helpless person, and no patient should continue to use an unsuitable one, unless his illness is slight and also likely to be of very short duration.
Besides being comfortable, a bed suitable for the sick must be clean and easy to keep in a sanitary condition. The springs should be firm, and the mattress should be elastic and should give an even support without lumps and hollows. The bed covers should be clean, light, and warm; the pillows should be sufficient in number not only to make the head and shoulders comfortable, but also any other part of the body in need of support. Moreover, the bed should be so placed and of such a kind that the work of caring for
the patient may be rendered as easy for the attendant as possible. In every household at least one bed suitable for a sick person should be available in case of need.
Bedsteads.
—Beds of white enameled iron, brass, or brass and iron combined are most easily kept clean, and are the best in every way. The frame should be strong enough to stand firmly, yet not so heavy that it is hard to move. It should have as few angles as possible, and all its joints should be smooth and well finished. The springs should be made of wire stretched tightly on a metal frame that fits smoothly into the head and foot pieces. Large castors should be used; they may be removed from the foot if the bed moves too easily.
A bed to be used in sickness should have the following dimensions—length, 6 ft. 6 in., height 24 to 26 inches, width, 36 inches. If a bed is either too high or too low the labor of lifting and moving the patient is greatly increased. If the bed is too narrow the patient is insecure. If the bed is too wide, its center is difficult or impossible to reach without leaning or kneeling upon it; and if too short, it will prove uncomfortable for a tall person. A bed that is too low may be raised on four heavy boxes of the same height; or still better, upon heavy wooden blocks which
any carpenter can easily make, and which are well worth a little trouble to obtain. In the top of each block a hollow should be made into which the leg of the bed will fit after the castor has been removed. A broad firm stool or a low chair may be provided for a patient who has difficulty in getting in and out of a high bed.
Beds with complicated attachments for moving patients are not recommended for family use. They are expensive, likely to get out of order, seldom needed, and generally unsatisfactory. In some surgical cases a bed with a firm, flat surface is necessary. Such a surface may be secured by placing between the mattress and springs two boards slightly separated, or one wide board with holes bored in it to afford ventilation.
Wooden beds are undesirable: they are difficult to keep clean, they readily absorb moisture and odors, they cannot well be disinfected, and their solid frames prevent a free circulation of air. Moreover, it is almost impossible to render fit for use again a wooden bed into which vermin have once made their way. Folding beds and lounges even of the best type are unhygienic, usually too low for the patient's comfort, and often insecure.